Confidence
by Mrs. HopeEstheim
Summary: Later, if anyone asked Lucy what had happened when she and Natsu drove off, back into the forest, she'd just smirk and say, "Wouldn't you like to know?" - Edo NaLu. T for language. R&R!


**Edo NaLu isn't getting too much love, is it? I wanted to help change that, because GOSH, the more provocative Lucy and the shy, adorable Natsu? Who **_**wouldn't**_** want to write about them? I've been wanting to since I drew my fanart pic and put it on deviantART. Haha. But that's utterly beside the point at the moment, isn't it? I was saying; Edo NaLu needs love. And I wanted to help bring it. So, here's my first Edo NaLu one-shot!**

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><p>Lucy heaved a huge, agitated sigh as she sat, slumped against the bar. It was one thing to be avoided by everyone because she was the most intimidating woman in the guild, but it was completely another for Levy, <em>Levy<em>, of all people, to refuse to fight with her. No matter what the blonde did to incense the blue haired girl, it wouldn't work. No, she was too busy beating up that new guy, Gumbee? Gregory? Nah, Lucy thought, wasn't it Gajeel?–but the it was clear to the blonde that her rival was becoming more enamored with tormenting the stupid guy than fighting with Lucy. But that wasn't the worst part.

_What_, someone else in the guild might have asked, _could be more important to Lucy than fighting with Levy_?

Perhaps it was the lump in the corner, huddled nearly in the fetal position, goggles discarded on the floor, and rocking back and forth as if to console himself. Perhaps it was the pink-haired guy who cowered in the face of the unknown, despaired in the loss of the one thing he had confidence in; his car.

Thinking about Natsu Dragion just made Lucy Ashley sink further into her funk. Really, couldn't he grow a pair and _get over it_? Move on, like everyone else had done without their magic items? After all, since the visit of the Earthland's Fairy Tail, there had been no magic whatsoever. The prince–king?–had seen to that, though few knew. They blamed Earthland's counterpart of Natsu, and Gajeel and Wendy, because they took the blame so that their 'Mystogan', the current king of Edolas, could rule with the trust of his people. And 'Mystogan' had moved on, Fairy Tail changed into a merchant guild, though they were still infamous for causing trouble, and Lucy's hair had grown back to her shoulders.

Natsu hadn't recovered in the last few months. The loss of his car was devastating to the timid, shy, mousy young man. And Lucy grudgingly realized that when Dragion was down, she was in the dumps with him. As much as the fearsome blonde wanted to go over there, drag him to his feet, and beat him senseless like she would have before the visit of the Earthland mages, she resisted. Oddly enough, she knew that her preferred kind of discipline would be of no help this time. She knew that it would take time before he was fully over it, or maybe some new way of powering the vehicle, and…_wait_. New way of powering…?

"That's it!" Lucy suddenly leapt to life, slamming a hand down on the wooden countertop with so much force that it splintered where her hand had struck, but she didn't seem to notice the few drips of blood on her hand. With a purpose in mind now, she strode straight over to the sniveling lump in the corner, hauled him to his feet, and pulled him out of the guild, calling, "We'll be back later! Don't wait up!"

"Lu~cy!" the pink-haired man groaned and whined as he was dragged along. The pitiful sound of his voice really irritated the blonde, but then she softened just a little. Really, this stupid guy would be the end of her reputation if she didn't do something about him soon!

"Shut up," she snarled at him, walking to a secluded part of the nearby forest where they both knew what awaited them. His feeble thrashing ended, but he didn't help her, so Lucy still had to drag the pink-haired lump of currently useless flesh. She got a bit of vindictive pleasure every time she heard him yelp from hitting a tree root, or a rock, and especially enjoyed his shout when she purposely drug him through a thorn bush. Deep down, she knew it was cruel of her to do this, but if she didn't, her entire image would be nothing!

_Damn_ her _damned_ soft spot for this _damn_ idiot! _Damn it all!_

When the two reached the aggressive blonde's desired destination, she threw her burden forcefully on the ground in front of her, and he cowered there. He didn't want to lift his head to see what had become of his beloved car since they'd brought it back and left it here after the magic of Edolas was gone. Lucy didn't blame him, because it wasn't nearly as sleek and shiny as it used to be, but that could be easily fixed. It wasn't so decrepit that there was no hope for it.

"Look in front of you, Natsu," Lucy commanded imperiously, her voice so demanding that the timid shell of the rarely cocky Dragion man shot his head up at once.

"M-my baby!" he wailed, scrambling forward to hug the car, brushing some dirt and leaves from the hood. Lucy let him mourn on his own for a few minutes before sauntering to him, striking him upside the head once where he crumpled against the car, moaning and whining but cowering from her. When he opened one tear filled eye to look at his assailant, he saw a familiar pair of goggles dangling in front of his eyes.

"Are you going to take them or not?" the blonde asked, huffing at his watery stare.

"Lu~cy!" he cried again, this time flinging himself on her legs and sobbing out thanks and wailing about the state of his 'baby' and other numerous, unintelligible things.

"I didn't bring you out here for you to cry like a little baby!" she snapped, making him release her legs in a violent but still more gentle fashion than she would have prior to the loss of his confidence-maker; the car. "Take a good look at it, Natsu. What do you see?"

"W-what? I d-don't understand, L-L-Lucy," he stuttered, looking up at her, still tearful but now also a bit fearful of her.

"If you see what I see, you'll recognize some of your best memories came when you were driving that car," Lucy said harshly, forcing her point across the best way she knew how without using physical means. "And if you think the way I do, if you can just see it the way I see it, you'll realize that losing magic isn't the end of it all! _Think_, you pathetic idiot! Who the hell said that just because the magic was gone, you couldn't get that heap of metal working again, just like you remember?"

"B-but, without the f-fuel, it won't r-run, Lucy!"

"_Nonsense_!" she crouched down, grabbing the lapel of his jacket and pulling him face-to-face with her. "If you want to have that confidence back, if you want to be able to feel the _freedom_ you always said that driving that car gave you, then you'll do anything, right?"

His nod was her only answer as he started to understand just a little of what she was saying.

"Exactly. So here's what we're going to do–and listen closely, Natsu, because I won't repeat a damn thing! We are going to start experimenting with natural fuels; can it run off of water? Off of fire? Can we somehow make some sort of mixture to serve as an alternative fuel source? Oil? Or maybe there's some other sort of natural gas that will be enough to power it? Whatever it is, we're going to find it, and you're going to get your car back. Is that agreeable?"

"What…? _Really, Lucy?_" he was tearful, but a happy tearful. "You'd do that for me?"

"Don't let it go to your head, you miserable dumbass," Lucy scoffed, standing and turning her back on him.

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><p>True to her word, Lucy Ashley did everything she could alongside Natsu Dragion, even helping him clean up his car and polish and shine it like new at his pleading. And <em>damn it all<em> if Levy hadn't noticed and decided to tease her about this softer side. But really, when that stupid, _stupid_ boy showed such a pitiful expression to her, the blonde couldn't help but concede. Levy's teasing erupted into another of their famous fist fights, broken apart only when the doors of the guild slammed roughly open.

For a minute, Lucy thought that Earthland's Natsu was back, but dismissed the idea when the pink-haired young man rushed over to her, a container of some sort of sloshing liquid in his hand as he cried out in jubilation, "I found it, Lucy!"

She blinked once, twice, then seized his wrist and dragged him out of the guild.

The excitement welling inside her felt strange; could she really be this pleased that he thought he'd found the solution? A little piece of her whispered _yes_, because, really, when the shy guy was smiling at her, she felt a little nicer than she should, and she _liked_ the feeling. It made her…more like a girl, or something. Which wasn't always a good thing, but she'd tolerate it for him. Sometimes.

Lucy felt that she'd be a little disappointed if this was the culmination of their two months' worth of searching and experimenting, because spending the time with him had been a little relaxing, but truly rewarding. It kind of helped her see inside herself, spotting the bit of her that was just like Earthland's Lucy. Too sweet to be let out too often, once more for fear of losing her reputation, but it didn't hurt to let just a tiny, _tiny_ bit of that Lucy show through when she was with the ever timid Natsu. Yet even with the slight dissatisfaction welling in her chest, she couldn't help but feel excited for the previously distraught person she pulled along. This time, however, she did not have to drag him, because he was running in a full-out sprint, just like she was doing.

She didn't notice she'd grabbed him by the hand, and at the moment, neither did he.

Natsu took the lead when they neared the car's place, and Lucy saw immediately that it was in a different spot. There were tire tracks in the grass, several circles, and she could tell that he'd told her the truth. She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out, a truly cheerful sound that caught the car lover off guard for a moment, so that he turned and stared at her exalted face and realized that this might just have meant as much to her as it did to him. It was when she noticed his gaze that they noticed their hands and released each other.

"What are you waiting for?" Lucy asked him haughtily, not even bothering to open the passenger door but opting to slip in through the window. She smirked out at him and said, "Aren't we gonna go show the others?"

Already feeling his confidence mounting, Natsu Dragion returned the smirk, a very debonair look for him to wear (thought Lucy, though she'd never admit it) and in just a few short moments, he sat in the driver's seat beside her.

She'd never be able to describe the warmth in her chest at seeing this confident side of him again.

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><p>None of those they'd left behind in the guild, dumbstruck, knew what was going on, and none of them decided to pursue it. Instead, Levy turned to tormenting Gajeel, Gray continued talking with Juvia and stuttering and acting like a love sick puppy. Wendy laughed at something one of her many admirers had said, throwing her head back and just taunting the men with her looks. Everyone else went about as normal, until they heard a strange roaring sound they hadn't heard in half a year.<p>

"What…?" someone said, and all of them rushed to the door as a revving was heard.

The doors flew open as the rowdy group tumbled out of them, Gray tripping over someone's foot and landing at Juvia's feet. She helped him up, kind of absentmindedly, as she stared open-mouthed at the scene they now witnessed.

Natsu smirked at them all, sitting behind the wheel of his sleek, shiny car. And what was more, _it was running_. But how was that even _possible_, with no more magic to fuel it…?

"Whaddaya think?" he asked, showing white teeth with the roguish grin. "Purrs like a kitten, doesn't she?"

He revved it again to emphasize it.

"What…? But _how_?" Mirajane's voice came, incredulous.

Lucy was spotted then, reclining in the passenger seat looking smug, proud, and every bit a female counterpart of their newly reenergized Natsu. The pink-haired man winked at Mira's question, reaching over with his arm and drawing Lucy closer to his side. She squawked at the sudden action, but couldn't break the car lover's strong hold.

"It's all thanks to Lucy," Natsu answered the white-haired woman's question.

And then, to the general shock of everyone, but most especially Lucy, he adjusted his arm, hand on the back of her head rather than the opposite shoulder, and drew her right up against him in a kiss. At first, the blonde went wide eyed, and everyone expected her to throw him off and beat the living daylights out of him for even _thinking_ about doing such a thing to her, let alone _acting_ on the thought–but it never happened. One of her arms came up, hand entangling his hair in a vice grip as the other arm encircled his neck, and _'holy shit!' _was the most common thought of all of Fairy Tail when _she pulled him closer_.

When he pulled back from her, Natsu breathed, "I'm gonna have hell to pay for that, aren't I?"

"I'm going to kick your ass later," Lucy replied breathlessly.

The cocky expression of a smirk crossed with a grin spread on his features, and he repeated, "Later?"

"Just shut up," Lucy frowned at him.

"Alright," he agreed, then added as he drew closer, "I can think of a much better use for my mouth, anyway."

And he kissed her again, turning the vehicle off so as not to waste the newfound, precious fuel and so he could envelop the blonde in both of his arms.

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><p>Later, if anyone asked Lucy what had happened when she and Natsu drove off, back into the forest, after that intense make-out session, she'd just smirk and say, "Wouldn't you like to know?"<p>

Though, she admitted to herself, the confidence Natsu found when he was in that car was really something.

Especially in the back seat.

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><p><strong>Yes, I went all pervy at the last moment. Haha. But I couldn't resist! Anywho, I hope you guys like it! <strong>

**I think timid Edo Natsu is just **_**too cute**_**. Really. But when I think of confident Edo Natsu, I just wonder what he's capable of with the girl he likes in that car of his…XD**

**Please review! (I don't usually beg, but I think Edo NaLu deserves more love, so…please?)**


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